Le lys lumineux (Aredit comic)
Le lys lumineux (The luminous lily) is the 12th issue in the King comics series. The series was published in French by publisher Aredit and featured mainly stories with Gimlet King as the main character. Ly lys lumineux was published in August 1970. Synopsis This comic strip album contains several comic strip stories and articles. Only the first story is about characters created by W. E. Johns. This story occupies only the first 18 pages (out of a total of 130) and bears the same title as the album, Le lys lumineux. The rest of this article will be about this story only. Le lys lumineux is an adaptation of the Johns short story The Adventure of the Luminous Lily from Biggles - Charter Pilot. The characters of Biggles and his friends are replaced by Gimlet King, Copper Colson and Cub Peters. Dr Augustus Duck is replaced by one Dr (sometimes called Professor) Ronald Tug. Presumably this is a play on the nickname "Donald Duck" which was given to Dr Duck. But Dr Tug does not have Duck's eccentric features or style of dress. The cover artwork which appears to show Gimlet fighting a python or boa with a machete does not relate to any scene from the story. Plot (Click on expand to read) As adaptations go, this story is fairly close to the original. Most of the key story elements relating to the finding of the luminous lilies are present but there are substantial embellishments and changes. To begin with, the characters are wholly different. Gimlet King replaces Biggles, Copper Colson and Cub Peters replace Algy and Ginger. Dr Ronald Tug replaces Dr Augustus Duck. The setting is clearly postwar. Copper has set up his garage and Trapper has returned to Canada. There is also an entirely original story thread spun in involving a French pilot Eric Lebel. He ditches his aircraft in the lake after an engine failure and manages to swim to the island. There he is captured by a local brigand Tsuo-ke who is using the ruined temple as a hiding place. Lebel escapes the temple at night and sees the luminous lilies. He tells his story to Dr Tug, who decides to follow up on the report. Gimlet and co. fly out to the island in a twin engined amphibian, although it is not clear who is doing the piloting. As in the original story, they make a daytime visit to the ruins but do not find anything. Instead of returning to the aircraft to spend the night as in the original, they move into hiding in the jungle and keep the temple under surveillance, expecting Tsuo-ke and his gang to return--which they do, after dark. Gimlet and co. then see the lilies, knock out one of Tsuo-ke's guards and then proceed as in the original. A lily is plucked and loses its luminance. Tug then decides to dig for bulbs. During the dig, Tsuo-ke's men turn up and a fight ensues. Tsuo-ke's men manage to gain the upper hand and order Gimlet and friends to surrender. But Cub, knocked ot the ground floor behind Tsuo-ke, quietly gets up and sticks his pistol at Tsuo-ke. The brigands are then tied up while the dig continues. Like Algy in the original, Copper takes over the dig from Dr Tug and it is he who unleashes the flood of red worms. Tsuo-ke's men beat a retreat to their boats which Gimlet and friends flee to their aircraft. After leaving the area, they meet a local government official just like in the original, only this time, he is given a name, Mr Ching. Ching tells them the story of the crocodiles and how they were trapped and killed in a large pit. Tug agrees this is a reasonable explanation for the luminous lilies and the works. The story has an epilogue which is not found in the original. After returning to England, Tug receives a letter from Ching. Ching tells him Tsuo-ke and his men have all been arrested and that an operation was in progress to disinfect the island (presumably to remove the worms). Characters *"Gimlet" King *Copper Colson *Cub Peters *Dr Ronald Tug *Eric Lebel *Tsuo-Ke *Mr Ching Aircraft *Twin engined, high wing amphibian somewhat reminiscent of a Grumman Goose or Gosling. Places Visited *French Indo-China Research Notes References to the past Incongruities Chronology References Category:Derivative works